A house fire in Gravenhurst was stopped from turning deadly thanks to working alarms.
Firefighters were called to a house at Phillip Street and First Street around 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Gravenhurst Fire Chief Jared Cayley says responders got the fire under control rather quickly. Cayley credits working smoke alarms for helping to save lives.
“Smoke alarms were present and working; in fact, some of the passersby had heard the smoke alarms and that alerted them to call 911 before they saw the fire,” says Cayley. “Working smoke alarms save lives.”
Cayley also credits the actions of bystanders.
“We were very happy that we were told there were many 911 calls,” says Cayley. “That’s fantastic because that means people are not using their phones to take pictures, they’re using their phones to make sure their neighbours get help.”
No injuries were reported, but the residents of two apartments were displaced by the fire. Damage is estimated at around $250,000, and Cayley says it’s unclear whether the building will be habitable.
Cayley says the cause is currently undetermined, but there is no reason to believe the fire was suspicious, or that there is a connection to the August building fire which left five families homeless and a resident dead only a block away.